Cambodia and US to revive joint military drills after eight-year pause
Cambodia will resume joint military exercises with the US in February 2027, ending a suspension that began in 2017.
Cambodia's army has announced it will resume joint military exercises with the United States early next year, ending a suspension that has lasted for nearly a decade. The announcement, made on the official Facebook page of the Royal Cambodian Army on Friday, follows a series of recent high-level meetings between defence officials from both countries aimed at repairing strained ties.
The two sides have agreed to hold a joint drill, named Exercise Angkor Sentinel 2027, in February. The exercise is designed to strengthen interoperability and disaster-response capabilities, according to the army's statement, which described the development as reflecting renewed momentum in bilateral military cooperation.
The resumption comes after years of friction between Phnom Penh and Washington. Cambodia halted such exercises with the US in 2017. Since then, relations have been complicated by Washington's concerns over Cambodia's deepening economic and political relationship with China, as well as Beijing's involvement in upgrading a Cambodian navy base on the Gulf of Thailand. US officials have repeatedly voiced suspicions that China may have been granted secret privileges at the facility, a claim Cambodian authorities have consistently denied.
The US has also criticised Cambodia's human rights record, including what rights groups describe as politically motivated legal action against dissidents and critics, allegedly influenced by the ruling Cambodian People's Party of Prime Minister Hun Manet.
Recent diplomatic engagements have laid the groundwork for the thaw. In August, Hun Manet met with Elbridge A. Colby, Under Secretary for Policy at the US Department of War, to discuss bilateral relations and defence matters. Hun Manet expressed satisfaction with the positive momentum in ties and progress towards renewing the exercise, stressing that joint training serves as a vital bridge to foster friendship between the armed forces of both countries.
Separately, US Navy Admiral Steve Koehler, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, met with Cambodian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief General Vong Pisen in August. The two discussed plans to resume a bilateral maritime exercise that was also suspended in 2017.